This site will work and look better in a browser that supports web standards, but it is accessible to any browser or Internet device.
Sign up for the latest news
The Healing Journey
We’re delighted to announce that our second Coping with Cancer Stress online course will be starting on Wednesday 28th March at 7.30pm. This time it’s open to English speakers around the world and not just to people in the UK.
The purpose of the course is help participants reduce the stress of cancer and improve their quality of life by teaching effective and easy-to-learn techniques that can help people feel in more control of their situation, as well as less anxious and more relaxed.
The course is open to carers as well as to people who have or have had cancer. It will be led by Ella Titman, an experienced counsellor, yoga teacher and Healing Journey course leader.
Only basic computer skills are needed to participate as the technology we use is very easy to learn.
You can find more information about the course here - www.healingjourney.org.uk/onlinecourse.html.
Here are some comments from participants on the previous course.
“I found the programme very interesting and insightful. I also found it extremely helpful in helping to support myself with certain aspects of profound changes that are occurring in my life….
Even though I was sitting alone at home I felt connected, and part of a bigger and very friendly group. It was much more user friendly and very personally supportive than I had imagined would be possible from such a online course. I think this was in great part to do with Ella as the facilitator but also the fact of being able to interact with such easy immediacy through the medium of the webinar. It was such a privilege to hear and share with other’s experiences.”
“I think one of the most important things is the support and sharing with other people on the same quest. It is lovely to feel a whole person and an equal with others and to feel sympathy with them and from them, to feel part of a group…..
I also liked the way things that I initially thought might not be helpful for me surprised me and were helpful, and also the course’s holistic approach to life and its challenges – the way it wasn’t about ‘fixing cancer’ but about helping the person make sense of cancer as a part of their life.”
“Ella clearly knew her material and she delivered it very well indeed. She is a lovely person and this added to it. She built up the course week by week very well, adding in something new every week, which helped us get to grips with one thing at a time.”
For those who would like to have a taste of the webinar experience, we’re putting on a free introductory webinar at 7.30pm on Wednesday 8th February.
Ella Titman, the course leader, will be leading the webinar, joined by Petra Griffiths, the Centre's Director. They will be talking about what’s covered on the Coping with Cancer Stress course and there will be a chance to ask questions.
To book your place on the webinar, please fill in the form on this page – www.healingjourney.org.uk/introductorywebinar.html.
We
are delighted to announce that we have raised over £5,000 through taking
part in the Big Give Christmas Challenge.
Our grateful thanks to everyone who donated.
We
are delighted that the Royal Albert Hall Christmas Festival
collections have raised an amazing £26,890 for cancer support
services in Wandsworth.
The funds will be shared by St George's Hospital, through St George's Hospital Charity, and the Centre.
We would like to thank all our wonderful volunteers, the staff of the Royal Albert Hall, and the security and cashier staff from St George's Hospital who all helped to make this series of events such an amazing experience for everyone involved and a fantastic success.
(Royal Albert Hall image used under a Creative Commons license from Adrian Perez.)
Dr
Lauren Pecorino, the author of Why Millions Survive Cancer: The Successes
of Science,
gave a very interesting talk at our AGM at the beginning of November.
Her talk focused around the big improvements worldwide in survival rates for many cancers that she examines in her book. As she says: “It is my hope that in communicating this recent progress, people are more likely to pay attention to early warning signs/symptoms and to seek medical advice without the fear of assuming they have got a death sentence. Our attitude towards cancer now needs drastic change.”
The recommendations the book contains are based on
expert advice from the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute
for Cancer Research,
who assembled a panel of experts to assess all the published research on
food and exercise, and cancer.
According to Dr Pecorino, it is clear that eating fruit and vegetables, and taking physical exercise decreases the risk of some cancers.
As she says: “The fact that components of some fruit and vegetables can turn on genes that help protect you against cancer is new and most exciting. I am sure this is set to explode in the coming years.”
A team of six put their best foot forward and took part in the adidas Women’s 5k in Hyde Park, London on September 11th to raise awareness of our work and funds for us.
Thank you to everyone who took part!
A summer wine tasting organised by a group of supporters raised over £1,300 whilst Waitrose Southside have again supported the charity with a donation of £355 from their Community Matters programme. In addition Waitrose Balham have recently given us a cheque for £642. A big thank you to everyone who supported us.
Congratulations to all our runners who took part in the British 10k London run on Sunday 10th July. Thank you for all your great efforts and especially to all your supporters for helping to make the event such a success.
Next year's British 10K London run is taking place on Sunday 15th July. To register your interest, click here.
We are delighted to say that the move to the new premises at 20 - 22 York Road, London SW11 3QA has gone well with minimal disruption to services.
All one to one therapies are up and running, the groups and classes programme has started again and the healing journey programme along with the home visiting service volunteer training are continuing as scheduled.
Please contact 020 7924 3924 if you have any questions and click here for the current groups and classes programme.
We look forward to welcoming you to our new premises. Click here for a map and travel directions.
The modernisation of the rest of the building is in progress, creating a lively meeting and conference centre that will act as the hub for the local community. The charity is looking forward to working in partnership with the other health and social care organisations that will based in the building.
The 'Time for You' social event on Friday 20th May in partnership with Goldman Sachs Community Team Works volunteers was a great success. Activities included taster sesions of massage, reflexology and shiatsu along with a fabulous lunch and voice and percussion workshops.
Thank you to everyone who helped make the day such a success.
You
can now donate your scrap car to us! We have recently teamed up
with Giveacar, the UK’s
largest scrap car and vehicle donation service.
Giveacar.co.uk is a social enterprise that raises money for charities by accepting donations of scrap cars. Giveacar arranges the collection of your vehicle for free, and every car is either recycled to high environmental standards or sold at auction. The profits of each sale are then directed to a charity of your choice – so please support the Centre by donating your unwanted car to us through Giveacar!
Each car donated through Giveacar raises an average of £80 for charity. This month, generous donations of unwanted cars from the public will raise over £30,000 for registered charities in the UK. Telling your friends and family about the Centre’s partnership with Giveacar will help us to tap into this new source of revenue.
A
huge thank you to Tough Lobster, the team of old
They're still collecting money so you can sponsor a lobster here.
Below is a photograph of part of the Challenge.
We are very sorry to hear of the death of Susannah York from cancer. She was a Patron of the Centre for over 15 years and she was keen to support us as a local charity which had greatly helped people she had known.
She was very generous in naming us as a joint beneficiary for the cash raised through her appearance on the BBC’s Celebrity Cash in the Attic in 2010 and as the beneficiary for her fee from a Mail on Sunday article just before Christmas. She gave a very moving speech about the Centre’s work at a charity auction in 2004 and was always very happy to give supportive quotes about the Centre’s work.
Everyone at the Centre who met her thought she was a delightful person.
We feel honoured that Susannah's family have named the Centre as a recipient for donations, along with UNICEF and the Royal Marsden Hospital.
We started another Introduction to Mindfulness and Meditation course in January.
The course includes lots of practice of mindfulness, including meditation, gentle stretching, qigong and breathing exercises, and body scanning.
The benefits of mindfulness include being better able to cope with the stresses and uncertainties of everyday life, better concentration, a better quality of sleep, being able to relax better and improved equanimity(learning the skill of responding rather than reacting to situations).
The course leaders are Gary Born and Sud Ubayasiri, who are both experienced meditators as well as qualified meditation teachers.
Please subscribe to our email newsletter if you would like to be informed of the next course.